Kaspersky Lab, an Internet security firm, has announced that a version of Skimer, an especially dangerous malware that turns whole ATMs into card-skimming machines, has returned. The program was first found in 2009 and has likely been distributed at ATMs all over the world.

The majority of ATM fraud takes place through card skimming, but Skimer is particularly problematic. Card skimming is usually physical, as criminals typically install an illegal card-reading device into ATMs, film people entering their PINs on keypads, and then create duplicate cards for sale and use, reports the New York Times.

Fortunately, users can uncover these card skimmers because they'll spot a problem with the card reader or notice an unusual camera.

Skimer, however, is software-based, which means users can't see it. The program lets criminals access an ATM remotely, install the malware, and then gather data such as PINs, card numbers, and account numbers over the course of time. A "money mule" can then insert a special magnetic stripe card into the ATM to access the stolen data, take out money, or print card numbers onto a receipt.

Kaspersky is trying to aid banks to detect Skimer and is providing techniques for identifying affecting machines and securing their ATM networks in the future.

If Skimer has resurfaced in the U.S., then it could make ATM fraud grow even further. A recent FICO study discovered that the number of compromised ATMs in the U.S. surged 546% from 2014 to 2015, thanks in large part to the slow EMV migration of debit cards and ATMs.

But it's not clear if EMV upgrades would actually stop Skimer, which means ATM fraud could grow even more from 2015 to 2016.

Fraud cost U.S. retailers approximately $32 billion in 2014, up from $23 billion just one year earlier. To solve the card fraud problem across in-store, online, and mobile payments, payment companies and merchants are implementing new payment protocols that could finally help mitigate fraud.

John Heggestuen, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on payment security that looks at how the dynamics of fraud are shifting across in-store and online channels and explains the top new types of security that are gaining traction across each of these channels, including on Apple Pay.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

EMV cards are being rolled out with an embedded microchip for added security. The microchip carries out real-time risk assessments on a person's card purchase activity based on the card user's profile. The chip also generates dynamic cryptograms when the card is inserted into a payment terminal. Because these cryptograms change with every purchase, it makes it difficult for fraudsters to make counterfeit cards that can be used for in-store transactions.

To bolster security throughout the payments chain encryption of payments data is being widely implemented. Encryption degrades valuable data by using an algorithm to translate card numbers into new values. This makes it difficult for fraudsters to harvest the payments data for use in future transactions.

Point-to-point encryption is the most tightly defined form of payments encryption. In this scheme, sensitive payment data is encrypted from the point of capture at the payments terminal all the way through to the gateway or acquirer. This makes it much more difficult for fraudsters to harvest usable data from transactions in stores and online.

Tokenization increases the security of transactions made online and in stores. Tokenization schemes assign a random value to payment data, making it effectively impossible for hackers to access the sensitive data from the token itself. Tokens are often "multiuse," meaning merchants don't have to force consumers to re-enter their payment details. Apple Pay uses an emerging form of tokenization.

3D Secure is an imperfect answer to user authentication online. One difficulty in fighting online fraud is that it is hard to tell whether the person using card data is actually the cardholder. 3D Secure adds a level of user authentication by requiring the customer to enter a passcode or biometric data in addition to payment data to complete a transaction online. Merchants who implement 3D Secure risk higher shopping-cart abandonment.

In full, the report:

Assesses the fraud cost to US retailers and how that fraud is expected to shift in coming years

Provides 5 high-level explanations of the top payment security protocols

Includes 7 infographics illustrating what the transaction flow looks like when each type of security is implemented.

Analyzes the strengths and weakness of each payment security protocol and the reasons why particular protocols are being put in place at different types of merchants.

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